Korean football legends Cha Bum-kun and Park Ji-sung go back to where it all started

MEXICO CITY — Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, two of Korea's greatest footballing legends — Cha Bum-kun and Park Ji-sung — made a nostalgic journey to Estadio Olímpico Universitario, a historic football stadium in Mexico City, on Monday.

Built in 1952, the stadium is where Korean football reached a historic milestone. After returning to the World Cup for the first time in 32 years, Korea suffered a 3-1 defeat to Diego Maradona's Argentina at the 1986 tournament. However, the team earned its first-ever World Cup point at the venue with a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria.

Cha, then playing for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany's Bundesliga, where he was affectionately called "Cha Boom," was on the field that day.

Standing once again on the same turf 40 years later, Cha appeared deeply moved.

"Back then, the stadium felt much smaller because all 60,000 seats were filled,” Cha said. "Looking at it today, it feels enormous.”

"I still feel outmatched by this stadium because I never managed to score here as a striker for the national team."

He then laughed and added, "If we had used today's official match ball, the Trionda, back then, I probably would have scored a lot more goals."

Park, who quietly took in the weathered stands beside Cha, also reflected on the stadium's significance.

"Our generation played in much more modern stadiums, but this place still bears the marks of time," Park said. "It feels especially meaningful knowing that Korea's streak of 11 consecutive World Cup appearances began here."

Park will serve as a commentator for local broadcaster JTBC during the World Cup, set to kick off in Mexico on Thursday. Cha is expected to visit multiple venues as a FIFA Legend ambassador during the tournament.

The pair is also starring in JTBC's documentary "Cha-Park Road," which premiered Monday night in Korea.

At the 1986 World Cup, the thin air of Mexico City, situated at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,218 feet), took a toll on the Korean players.

"Even 40 years ago, the difference in breathing compared with lower-altitude areas was significant," Cha recalled. "Players who relied on speed suffered the most. It took a long time to recover after a sprint."

Park noted that the national team is better prepared this time around.

"The team arrived late to Mexico during Cha's era, but fortunately this World Cup squad spent about two weeks acclimating to high-altitude conditions," Park said. "They may not be as comfortable as host nation Mexico, but they should be in a better position than their group stage opponents, the Czech Republic and South Africa."

Joining the visit was a reporter from ESPN Mexico, who predicted that Group A would finish with Mexico at the top, followed by Korea, South Africa and the Czech Republic.

"I don't agree with judging the Czech Republic as a strong team simply because it's a European side,” the reporter said, offering the optimistic outlook that Korea may reach the quarterfinals. "I think Korea could play six matches depending on the draw.”

Asked about his favorite to win the tournament, Cha went for Brazil.

"They have everything needed to win at any time," Cha said. "Historically, they've also lifted the trophy more than any other nation."

Park chose Spain, which won the Euro 2024. He cited Spain's potential to replicate the momentum that carried the country to the 2008 Euro and 2010 World Cup titles.

The ESPN reporter also asked the pair about Korean team captain Son Heung-min's move to Los Angeles FC.

"Son has already proven everything he could in Europe," Park replied. "With this World Cup in North and Central America, moving to the United States was a reasonable decision."

Park added that Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain is the leading candidate to inherit Son's role as Korea's next star player.

Son, who has scored 56 goals in international matches, is only two away from Cha's record 58 for Korea. Son is also tied with Park and Ahn Jung-hwan for the most World Cup goals by a Korean player with three.

"After this tournament, Son will have played in more World Cups than I did," Park said. "I fully expect him to set a new record for most World Cup goals by a Korean."

Cha agreed with a smile, saying, "I hope he breaks my record as well."

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BY PARK LIN   [[email protected]]